Review: Showtime

◆ Showtime by Chloe Kayne

◆ Read February 2013

◆ English Edition

◆ ⋆⋆

❝ The
grandeur of the traveling circus is at its peak in the early 1920s when
sixteen-year-old Laila Vilonia is searching for an escape from her
bleak future. Behind the gates of the legendary Marvelle Circus, she is
thrust into a mysterious world she never knew existed—a paradise
populated with outcasts. It’s in this glamorous new home that Laila
sparks a controversial romance with notorious sideshow performer, "The
Disappearing Man," and learns just how dangerous her new life can be.

Touring
the picturesque eastern coast of America, Laila’s immersed in
friendship, vaudeville, festivals, sequins, and serial killers. But
behind the curtain, a sadistic plan is brewing that will crack the very
foundation upon which she’s become so dependent.❞

I received a free copy of Showtime from the author and am ever so glad that she was so generous because I enjoyed this book immensely.

I
felt a bit confused whilst reading the first chapter, clueless about
who was who and what was going on. However, after a few chapters I was
easily drawn into the circus world that the main character explores. The
author does a great job with the descriptions of life in a circus. Not
only does she describe the glamorous side of showbusiness and
spotlights, we also get to take a look at the less appealing side which
includes the way freaks are treated and some of the less-enjoyable jobs
employees were subjected to such as mocking out the stalls and doing the
laundry all day long.

Despite
that, I got the impression that the author forget to put in slightly
crucial bits of context. The story is set right after the First World
War, yet there is no mention of that though it could have easily been
incorporated. Neither is there any mention of the economic bloom or
popular culture. The story lacked historical context, and that put me
off slightly.

Furthermore,
though very detailed, the descriptions were a bit over the top and
far-sought sometimes. In my opinion the book would have been better if
there was a better balance. Short sentences with little adjectives
complement long descriptions after all.

The
book could use some more editing as there are definitely a lot of
grammar and spelling mistakes, but apart from that I enjoyed the story
and the characters - especially the minor ones -. The pace was well
maintaned and easy to follow and the book truly reads like a train. I
recommend this book to anybody who likes to read about circus-life or
coming-of-age.

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